Two unions namely Pakistan Steel Labour Union and United Workers Front filed an application in NIRC on 22-6-2012 and 25-6-2012 for holding Referendum in Pakistan Steel as the CBA has completed its tenure of two years according to IRO 1969, while the sitting CBA Pakistan Steel Peoples Workers Union filed an application on 18-7-2012 for the enhancement in the CBA tenure from 2 to 3 years as per IRA 2012 subsection 11 of section 19.

After detail hearing, on behalf of a judgment of Islamabad High Court, NIRC categorised the sitting PSPWU- CBA certificate under IRA 2012 and the matter of extension given on behalf of IRA-2012 subsection which says that “if any trade union have membership more than 5,000 members in a province then the period of two years will be enhanced to three years”.

PSPWU took more than 8,500 votes in its referendum held in 2010 which became the most powerful evidence of their membership while on the other hand the other challenger unions could not proof their membership strength in NIRC, so NIRC dismissed their applications and accepted the sitting CBA application by ordering the enhancement of 1 year in its tenure which will now ends on 22 June 2013.